Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Copper River Harvest Grows Under Clear Skies, Temperatures in 60s

Wild salmon harvests in Prince William Sound’s Copper River district have reached an estimated 110,827 sockeyes, 6,626 kings and 2,950 chums, Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists said May 26.

The fishery got off to a slow start, but ADF&G officials have predicted a run of 3.190 million salmon, including a sockeye run of 2,750 million fish.

The latest opportunity for some 500 boats participating in the Copper River fishery was a 36-hour opener that concluded at 7 p.m. on May 26. Harvests weren’t totaled yet, and biologists at Cordova were expected to announce the next opener this afternoon. Temperatures have been mostly in the high 50s and warming under mostly clear skies.

Prices for those prized first run fish were all over the board, with the best deal for wild salmon aficionados in South-central Alaska at Costco Wholesale stores, where they were selling for $12.99 a pound, compared to online offers of $33.99 a pound at Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, and $36.95 a pound at FishEx in Anchorage.

Copper River king fillets were available online too, at $54.99 a pound at Pike Place market and $48.95 a pound from FishEx.

Seabear Wild Salmon in Anacortes, Washington, was taking online reservations for fresh Copper River salmon, offering deals that included six pounds of fresh Copper River sockeye fillets for $168, or $28 a pound.

Customers were advised that supplies are limited and would be available fresh for only a short time.

Those Copper River sockeye fillets were selling fast at 10th & M Seafoods in Anchorage, at $23.95 a pound, along with fresh Copper River king salmon fillets at $31.95 a pound.

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